Gucci has announced that it is
debuting its 2019 cruise collection show on May 30 next year in
the Provencal city of Arles.
The Italian brand owned by French luxury group Kering and the
city of Arles said the presentation will be held at the
Alyscamps, one of the most notorious Roman necropolises in the
world located just outside the walls and a UNESCO world heritage
site.
Alyscamps was the final resting place of St. Trophimus, who
is believed to have been the first Christian bishop of Arles.
In the late 19th century, the Alyscamps, which has never
hosted a fashion show before, and Arles served as the backdrop
to some of the most celebrated work of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul
Gaugin.
Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele has picked
culturally meaningful settings for all three of his previous
Gucci Cruise collections that also served as an inspiration for
his designs.
His choices were New York's Dia Art Foundation in 2015,
Westminster Abbey in London in 2016, and the Palatina Gallery in
Florence's Palazzo Pitti last May after the Parthenon in Athens,
his first pick, was not available.
Michele, an erudite designer who has turned over Gucci since
taking its creative helm in January 2015, has widely used
historical references, including prints of Britain's Union Jack
flag for his cruise lineup in London last year - indicating
Alyscamps could inspire his next resort collection itself.
Luxury fashion houses have been increasingly staging their
cruise shows in far-flung, elaborate locations.
Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquière,
who has staged each of his cruise shows at architectural
landmarks, debuted his range at the entrance to the Miho Museum
in Kyoto, Japan.
A suspension bridge on location designed by iM Peiy, who
created the Louvre's glass pyramid, formed the catwalk.
The event was organized days after Christian Dior presented a
Georgia O'Keefe-inspired show in California's Santa Monica
mountains, and two weeks after Karl Lagerfeld recreated the
Parthenon inside the Grand Palais to debut his collection for
Chanel.
Photo: Pitti fashion show in Florence.
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